Wardrobe-trunk.



{5. w. HAWLEY. WARDROBE TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 15. W17.

Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET] E. W. HAWLEY.

WARDROBE TRUNK.

APPLICATION men SEPT. 15. um.

Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 lNVE/ITQI? 1 Han/by WI TIMES-5.

UNITED STATES EUGENE W. HAWLEY, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

WARDROBE-TRUNK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, 191 8.

Application filed September 15, 1917. Serial No. 191.5%.

To all [If/L07, may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE lV. l-LuvLnY, a citizen of the United States.residing at Philadelphia, county at Philadelphia. and State ofPennsylvania. have invented. a new and useful linu'novemcnt in\Vardrobc- Trunks, oi which the :lollowing is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being bad to the z'urconipanying drawings whichform a partof this specification.

The object oil. my inventitm is to provide a device for attachment towardrobe trunks which will operate to retain in position the gi'irmentssuspended in the trunk and which will be held in operative position bymeans of its own inherent elasticity.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompa11yingdrawings wherein Figure 1 i a perspective view of a ward robe trunk,open, showing my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the garment hanging side thereof.

Fig. 3 is a. vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, with the garn'lenthangers omitted.

Fig. 4; is a partial front view of the showing in Fig.

The trunk comprises two compartments a and b hinged one to the other inthe usual way, one compartment (4, which is preferably the deeper one,being preferably provided. with a hinged. top 0.

Secured to the inside of the upper edge oi. the compartment a is agarment supporter, which'may be of any suitable construction. I haveillustrated one preferred form, the same comprising a Hat metal bar (Zextending along the sides and rear of the inside of compartment o andprojecting somewhat above its upper edges, rods e, seoured to andextending forward from the rear member of bar (Z, and rods f sleevedtelescopically on rods 6. The rods 6 and f on each side constitute anextensible support for garn'ient hangers o, which are suspended betweenthe supports by means of end hooks ,7.

Applied to the inside walls of opposite sides of the trunk are metalangle bars it. These angle bars act as holders for the retainerhereinatlitei. described. Each holder is secured at opposite ends and isL-shaped in cross section, the horizontal member of the holder extendingtoward the wall, the vertical member of the holder being thereforespaced from the wall. Each holder is provided with a series of notches iwhich extend entirely across the horizontal member of the holder andpart way up the vertical. member of the holder. These notches aretherefore opcn-endcd at their lower ends and closed at their upper ends.

The retainer proper consists of a series of elastic spaced-z part stripsj secured at one end to a tin t bar I: and at their other end at therear of the trunk, say to the rear menibcr oi the bar (l. These stripsmay be made of any suitable elastic material. A. high grade of Suspenderwebbing is found serviceable. The bar 7.: is of a length substantiallyexceeding the distance between the holders h and preferably is of alength almost equal to the width ol the trunk.

In operation, garments, hung upon hangers 5 are suspended between theside supports (a f while the latter are in extended relation. Thehangers are then moved back and the rods 7' moved rearward on the rods0, thus shortening the supports to les than the depth of the trunk. Thebar 70 is then grasped with the two hands and moved down in front of thetrunk beneath the holders (the strips j stretching to allow thismovement) and is then moved rearward and each of its opposite endsinserted in one of the notches i of the corresponding holder k. Theelasticity of the strips j exerts a strong pulling force upon the bar isand holds it against the closed upper ends of the engaged notches. Thestrips also operate to hold the garment hangers from sliding outward.The retainer is thus held in operative position by its own inherentelasticity.

To get access to the separate garments it is only necessary to manuallypull down the bar 7': oi the retainer, thereby disengaging the bar fromthe holders it and then withdraw the tainer over the top of the lid 0,where it is altogether out of the way.

Having now fully described my invention, what I desire to claim andprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a wardrobe trunk, the combination with one of the compartments ofa trunk body and a garment supporter positioned therein, of a garmentretainer secured at the rear of the compartment and adapted to extendover and in front of garments suspended from the supporter. and holdingmeans secured to the trunk beneath the bar forwardly and throw the retoextend over and in front of garments suspended from the supporter, saidretainer comprising a body or longitiuilinally extending spaced apartflexible and elastic strips and an inflexible end bar to "which theother- Wise free ends of the strips are secured, and holding meanssecured to opposite side Walls of the compartment and adapted to beengaged by the end bar of the retainer When a pulling force is exertedupon the end bar to stretch the strips.

3. In Wardrobe trunk, the combination messes with one of thecompartments of a trunk body and a garment supporter positioned therein,or a garment retainer secured at the rear oi the compartment and adaptedto extend over and in front of garments sus pended from the supporter,said retainer comprising a body of longitudinally extending spaced apartflexible and elastic strips and an inflexible end bar to which theotherwise free ends of: the strips are-secured, holding bars secured toopposite side Walls of the compartment and provided with series ofnotches in their lower edges the end bar of the retainer being adaptedto engage t 1e holding bars by insertion in notches from underneath andbeing held in position therein by the upward pulling force of theelastic strips or the retainer.

In testimony of which invention, 1 have hereunto set my hanch atPhiladelphia, Pa, on this 13th day of September, 1917.

EUGENE W. HAi WLEY.

Gopies or this patent may be obtained for fire cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patients Washington, ti,

